Nearshore Americas

Sykes’ Operation Doubles in Size in Fort Smith

International call center firm Sykes Enterprises is gearing up to add 120 people to its payroll in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The new hires take the total number of staff at the center to 850, an increase of about 400 employees in the past two years.

Tampa, Fla-based outsourcer says it decided to expand its operation in the Arkansas area after the company landed a contract with a financial services firm.

Sykes’ operation is expanding across the United States. About five months ago, the customer management firm unveiled $3 million hub in Montgomery, Alabama, announcing plans to hire 500 people over the next three years.

“This nearly doubles the number of local employees who work at the site in the past two years. The Fort Smith Sykes center opened in 2011 at the renovated former Phoenix Village Mall, 4600 Towson Ave,” according to local daily Southwest Times Record.

Sykes has already hired about 50 employees and the remaining 70 will be taken on board over the next two months.

With more than 50,000 employees in 21 countries, Sykes is one of the major call center firms headquartered in the United States. Agents in its call center provide service in as many as 30 languages. In Latin America, Sykes has operations in El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica and Colombia.

According to the paper, Tim Allen, Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, has praised Sykes, saying that Sykes was bringing service sector jobs into the town known largely for manufacturing jobs.

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“Allen said that while Fort Smith will continue to be a manufacturing town, the white-collar office jobs at call centers provide more diversification to the local economy and improves computer skills with the potential to be more effective communicators.”

Narayan Ammachchi

News Editor for Nearshore Americas, Narayan Ammachchi is a career journalist with a decade of experience in politics and international business. He works out of his base in the Indian Silicon City of Bangalore.

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